


A sword to pierce the sun.

by TheSpartanWitch



Series: Ophelia Atreides [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: AU is really AU, Explicit Language, F/M, Gen, Lots of words beginning with f!, Spoilers!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-30
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-05-30 02:33:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6405274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSpartanWitch/pseuds/TheSpartanWitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are moments in time where everything seems to move in slow motion as if to force you to take notice. Those precious moments you know will never come again, and are going to irrevocably change your life.</p><p>For Phe, the moments have come at her in a torrent. Torn out of her modern life and dumped in the Temple of Sacred Ashes, she doesn’t know which direction is even up anymore. But there’s too much to do in the name of setting things right, and she needs to find her way before all of Thedas is lost in a wave of darkness.</p><p>[Will follow the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition, though I reserve the creative right to mess with details, dialogue, and timeline to suit my head-canon and the whim of my muses. Warnings and labels will change appropriately with each chapter. This is Bioware’s Official Sandbox, dear reader, I’m simply playing in it.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A dream within a dream...err, sort of.

**Author's Note:**

> This is an Inquisition AU with an Original Character as the Inquisitor. I was inspired to create my own after a discussion with a dear friend about all the amazing OC Inquisition stories people have written here on AO3. Bear with me as I find Phe's voice, and please, enjoy the ride! <3
> 
> [This particular chapter contains several bits of explicit language.]

Ever had one of those moments where you open your eyes as you wake up and then instantly wish you hadn’t?

_Yeah_.

Today was one of those days. Seriously, within the first minute of forcing my eyelids to work, I really wish I hadn’t bothered. This...this wasn’t my bathroom. That space was bright white, simple, clean lines wrought in marble, porcelain, and glass. That space had been rapidly turning a violent shade of scarlet as my blood escaped the scars I’d reopened on my wrists.

I was kneeling on cold, grey stone. I was not sprawled out on heated mosaic tiles, with darkness swirling in to overwhelm my vision. It was a damp stone at that, and I shivered as I blinked and tried to bring things into better focus.

That...was a bad idea.

I was in manacles. A strange set I’d never seen before, and I’d been to a shitload of SCA events in the last five years of my life. It was almost like a steel version of medieval stocks, keeping my wrists tight in their grasp and about two feet apart. As if to prevent someone from picking the strange looking lock on the end, which, if I was going to be honest, I couldn’t have opened even with a damn key and an extra hand.

The manacles were joined to a thick, heavy ring set into the floor by a seriously heavy chain. This damn chain looked like it was meant to be attached to a ship anchor, not holding me down in a...prison. I blinked again and looked up this time, heart suddenly lodged in my throat. 

There were four guards visible in the flickering torchlight, swords drawn and pointed directly at me.

At. _Me_.

What in the actual fuck. My eyes widened as I stayed perfectly still, save for my shivering, trying to take in the details of the room instead of focusing on the really sharp blades that quite literally glittered in what light there was. I swallowed hard as my eyes darted around, trying to find something that made sense to my now-panicking mind.

The armor the guards were wearing looked nothing like the sets I’d seen on the guys I knew through the SCA. This armor was imperfect; it looked lived-in and well used. Not like the peculiar perfection the group I’d known had always insisted on, even in the midst of the annual Pennsic War.

I closed my eyes tight and dropped my chin to my chest, trying really hard to wake myself up from whatever nightmare I was stuck in. I wasn’t supposed to be dreaming, I was supposed to be dying.

Why could nothing in my life ever work the way I wanted it to?

A hiss erupted past my lips as my eyes flew open, pain registering with a burning ferocity in the palm of my left hand. There in the middle, a sickly green energy flared up and illuminated my hand, feeling as if my flesh was about to melt off and leave me skeletal fingers trying to clench into a fist. Tears blurred my vision as I forgot to breathe, and I almost didn’t notice the door beyond the guards being flung open.

Brighter light poured in from the hallway beyond, leaving the two figures entering as shadows until my gaze managed to adjust. The guards, mercifully, withdrew their weapons, sheathing them as they stepped back and remained at attention. I blinked rapidly, trying to focus on the woman who stalked closer to me, with what I recognized as a longsword belted on her left side. The image embossed into her armor...it...looked painfully familiar. I knew I’d seen it before, but my brain was still sluggish and she stalked behind me.

The other woman, who’s features looked just as achingly familiar, stood just a few feet away from me. I flinched as a voice emerged from over my shoulder, the first woman leaning down to snarl into my ear.

“Tell me why we shouldn’t kill you now. The Conclave is destroyed. Everyone who attended is dead. Except for you.”

My brain, in its infinite wisdom, took a moment to consider how amazing her accent sounded in spite of the fact that she was giving me a death stare unlike any I’d ever seen.

_Fuck me sideways_.

“You think I...did...wait, _what_?!” the words came out of my mouth slurred, as if I was having trouble getting my tongue to cooperate. Which, really, wasn’t too far from the truth. It felt as if I hadn’t had a drink of water or anything resembling a soothing liquid in a week.

I shook my head and swallowed again, trying to force something...anything...to make sense. All I got was the beginnings of a migraine.

“Explain this.” She snarled, briefly holding up my left hand as it spat angry green light everywhere all over again.

“I...can’t.” I sounded as pathetic as I felt. Confusion was writ clearly across my face, I could feel it there, for fuck’s sake.

“What do you mean, you can’t?”

_Well FUCK_. She didn’t believe me. Admittedly, it sounded ludicrous. But nothing about this made any damn sense at all. It was like being stuck in some god-awful low-budget fantasy flick that was released straight to VHS. Except...the costumes were kind of amazing, like they were the only thing any money got spent on.

“I don’t know what that is...or how it got there!” I remembered to reply, at least, lest she grab my hand again and another wave of agony shoot through to my shoulder.

“You’re lying!”

_Ohhh crap...now she’s going to kill me_...it was the only thing running through my head until the other woman intervened, pushing her back a few steps. “We _need_ her, Cassandra.”

“Cassandra?!” I blinked and forced myself to focus up on their faces. Then I realized why they both seemed so damn familiar.

“You’re Seeker Cassandra Pentaghast...and you’re Leliana, the Nightingale herself...and I...I’m on some serious medication at whatever hospital I landed in because neither of you are real. Holy fuck, this is an intense hallucination...” my voice cracked and failed as I shook my head even more violently than before. The migraine intensified, but the hallucination remained.

This...was not good.

“Go to the forward camp, Leliana. I will take her to the rift.” Cassandra said quietly after they both spent what felt like an eternity just staring at me. She must have agreed, but if she’d spoken, I didn’t hear anything past the pain erupting behind my eyes. Next time I looked up, Leliana was gone, and the Seeker was crouched in front of me unfastening the manacles.

I had half a moment to roll my wrists a bit before she fastened rope around them instead. Apparently going to whatever a rift was meant field trip time. At least I didn’t have to drag that heavy ass chain to wherever that meant we were headed.

“What happened?” I ventured, keeping my voice soft in an effort to pacify the legion of tiny dwarves in my head currently trying to pickaxe their way through my skull.

She helped me to my feet, which was a good thing, because my legs didn’t want to cooperate at first.

“It...will be easier to show you.”

I followed behind her as she led the way through a maze of cold, damp corridors only dimly lit by spluttering torches. I was following Cassandra Pentaghast, I mused, out of my apparent prison cell. If wasn’t in reality lying in a hospital bed under heavy sedation, this was a seriously dubious form of afterlife. Like I was in some weird sequel to my two favorite videogames.

Fucking hell, just trying to think about this shit made the migraine worse.

Not nearly as bad as stumbling outside into the cold air and looking up into the sky, though. My eyes went wide as I stared up at the swirling emerald monstrosity in the sky, breath caught in my throat as every fiber of my being panicked. This...this was not real. This could not possibly be real.

I was going to wake up any second now, restrained in a hospital bed for a second time. I’d be medicated. Heavily medicated. My twin brother would be there, waiting, glaring, angry that I’d tried to leave him again. Crying because I’d thought it better than the alternative of trying to live through the hell my life had become.

“We call it the Breach. It is a massive rift into the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour.” Cassandra had gone some ten paces ahead of me as she spoke, staring up at it as I was before she turned back and continued. “It’s not the only such rift, just the largest. All were caused by the explosion at the Conclave.”

“An explosion can do that?” The question was torn out of my mouth before I could stop it. It even sounded reasonable in context, though my voice was still mired in the confusion that suffused every inch of me. Confusion, pain, disbelief, all of it.

_This isn’t real...this isn’t real..._

“This one did. Unless we act, the Breach may grow until it swallows the world.”

Bloody hell, woman, doomsday much? I didn’t have much time for thought past that, honestly, because as best as I can explain it, the Breach fluxed and the sickly green energy in my hand responded like a child that desperately wanted to go back to it’s mother.

The pain was white hot and drove me to my knees in the snow. The power crackled and spit like an angry beast even as I cried out in agony, as if molten lava had decided to waltz through my veins and make itself at home. It felt like an eternity until the pulses stopped and I managed to drag in a ragged breath.

Cassandra went to one knee in front of me, speaking even as I cradled my hand to my chest. “Each time the Breach expands, your mark spreads, and it is killing you. It may be the key to stopping this, but there isn’t much time.”

_...I really need to wake up now...why does this feel so real?_

There might not have been time, according to her, but I needed to think. In spite of the pain, and in spite of the certainty that none of this was real. It couldn’t be. I could not be standing in Thedas with Cassandra _fucking_ Pentaghast asking me to help her. Didn’t she just stab books and demand answers? I mean, that’s what happened in the last Dragon Age game I played, when she interrogated Varric, for pity’s sake. Shouldn't my hallucination at least be game-accurate?!

I blinked and the words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them. “I understand.”

“Then...”

“I’ll do what I can. Whatever it takes.”

Cassandra helped me to my feet and walked beside me this time, guiding our path through the maze of tents and huts. The crowd was getting bigger the further we went, and louder too. I hunched my shoulders as I walked, trying to look smaller, though given my petite height, it wasn’t exactly hard.

“They have decided your guilt. They need it. The people of Haven mourn our Most Holy, Divine Justinia, head of the Chantry. The Conclave was hers. It was a chance for peace between mages and Templars. She brought their leaders together, now they are dead. We lash out like the sky, but we must think beyond ourselves, as she did. Until the Breach is sealed.”

Mages and templars had devolved into all out war...then...the mess in Kirkwall from the last game had spread through the rest of Thedas. Fucking Anders had set the spark to the tinder and set the world on fire. Wonder what the Qunari made of this apparent hot mess. Or Tevinter, for that matter.

_Oh hell, now it’s like I believe this shit is happening...ugh. Think, dammit!_

We paused as we passed through a gate, and Cassandra drew a knife as she stepped in front of me. I pulled back slightly, eyes widening as fear raced across my features. It must have been obvious, though, because her voice softened a bit as she reached for my bound hands. “There will be a trial. I can promise no more.” She cut the rope and I sighed faintly, fingers trying to rub the feeling back into my wrists.

“Come. It is not far.”

“Where are you taking me?” I asked as I followed her, hurrying my steps to catch up after grabbing a waterskin from a nearby crate. At least, I hoped it was water. Wine...wine would do me no good right now. Seriously, I had issues enough without being drunk on top of it all.

“Your mark must be tested on something smaller than the Breach. Open the gate! We are heading into the valley.”

I stumbled a bit, but caught myself on the gate as the guards pushed it open, watching as we passed. I pulled slightly ahead, just trying to put one foot in front of the other, the exertion and the cold air serving to clear my head a little bit. I reached up and pinched myself hard in the upper arm, but nothing happened.

Maybe there was _no waking up_ from this.

I shuddered as I slowed, watching as a handful of soldiers ran by, shouting about the Maker and the end of the world. I looked up and verdant missiles were spat out of the breach, landing sizzling in the snow upon distant reaches of the mountain. Ok. Looking up? Bad idea for right now.  I concentrated on walking, instead, and wondering where the hell the gear I was wearing had actually come from.

My SCA-approved armor looked nothing like this...didn’t even fit like this, either. Hell, this get-up was actually comfortable. I mean, it was still some level of armor and protection, but a lot lighter than the stuff I was used to practicing and skirmishing in back home. It was relatively warm, too, given the cold air Cassandra and I were jogging through.

My fingers absently adjusted the metal arches over my shoulders as I glanced over to the Seeker, mouth opening with a question that died in a haze of pain a moment later. The thrice-damned Breach fluxed again, expanding, and the mark on my hand responded in kind, driving me off of my feet and into a snowbank beside the path. It was over a moment later, and I waited another moment still before I dragged in a shuddering breath.

“The pulses are coming faster now.”

_Oh THAT’S helpful, thanks, Cass_...thanks to nothing more than a parched throat, I held the comment back and instead took a drink of water before the Seeker helped me back to my feet.

“The larger the Breach grows, the more rifts appear, the more demons we face.”

“I...survived the blast? H-how? I...don’t...I couldn’t...” the words were just failing to emerge, not that I even knew what I was trying to say at that point. The migraine was still there, alongside my disbelief and my intense desire to wake up. I mean, demons? there were no demons in Boston...politicians were bad, sure, but fuck’s sake, you didn’t run into demons prancing down Boylston Avenue or hanging out in the North End.

“They said you...stepped out of a rift, then fell unconscious. They say a woman was in the rift behind you. No one knows who she was.”

I stopped in my tracks at that point, halfway across the bridge the path we were on had led to. More than just shock at her answer, my hand sparked wildly with energy as the Breach spat out a mass of god only knows what and destroyed the bridge at our feet. There wasn’t enough time to react, and we both went tumbling ass over teakettle down to the frozen surface of the river below in a mess of supplies and shattered stone.

Somehow, I staggered to my feet as Cassandra stood up nearby, yet another eruption from the breach landing feet away from us. This time it resolved into a demon in front of my eyes, and the Seeker shouted for me to stay behind her as she moved to engage. Holy hell, that woman was seriously intense, and I...

...realized it was a shade. I’d seen dozens...maybe hundreds of them, in all the playthroughs I’d done of Dragon Age II. The bastards weren’t the toughest denizens of the Fade, but still, nothing to run over and engage without some sort of weapons in my hands. The Seeker could handle a single shade, though, I was certain of it.

When the ice started bubbling green at my feet as it had before the first shade emerged, my eyes slid around frantically. I needed a weapon...anything. Sword, dagger, didn’t matter. If the Maker, or Andraste, or... _whoever_ , wanted me here for a reason, I thought, I’d find a pair of swords akin to the ones I had back home. Two gleaming blades, longer than daggers, but shorter than the Seeker’s longsword, had tumbled out of a cracked crate when we’d fallen.

I didn’t even pause to think too hard on that, because the damn demon materialized three feet away from me. I pulled the blades into my hands, settled them with a brief spin and attacked. As if I’d been doing such a thing my entire life. As if using dulled, light-weight replica weapons in SCA events had prepared me for fighting a demon that was trying to _actually kill me_.

Though my brain was still having trouble catching up, at least my body understood what it was doing somehow. The shade screeched as it attacked, raking out at me with wicked looking claws. One, I managed to knock out of the way with a blade, the other, I misjudged and felt it tear through the armor on my left shoulder and dig into my flesh. I may have screamed, I’ll admit it...whatever doubt I’d had before then evaporated in the sudden rush of adrenaline.

I had to admit this was real, now, as I kicked the bastard back towards Cassandra who had all but obliterated the first one. It turned and slid towards her when it realized I wasn’t easy prey anymore, flanking the occupied Seeker. The shades exploded in short order, leaving us both liberally splattered in gore.

“It’s..over.” I said as I caught my breath, blinking as Cassandra turned and pointed her sword at me.

This was just NOT my day in any way, shape, or form.

“Drop your weapon. _Now_.”

I didn’t even reply, I just leaned over to slowly put the swords down. What could I even say? It’s not like I was stupid enough to take the fucking woman on in one-on-one combat...she’d kill me in seconds, I had no doubt.

“Wait...”

My hands hadn’t left the hilts yet and I paused, glancing up at her as she continued.

“I cannot protect you, and I cannot expect you to be defenseless.” She sighed as she sheathed her own sword and turned toward the path ahead. “I should remember, you agreed to come willingly.”

“Thank you.” It was all I could think of to say, so I turned to pick up the sword scabbards I’d earlier discarded in my rush. It was easy harness system to manage; whoever had used them previously carried them crossed on their back like a rogue would carry a pair of daggers. And the same way I carried my swords back home. A bit unorthodox, but it worked for me. It was just a matter of shrugging it on, fastening it with a little help from the Cassandra, and then settling the blades in them in an easy motion.

They were a welcome weight, and I sighed almost happily in that moment. The Seeker arched a brow and I gently shook my head. There’d be time for talk later, I mused as we forged ahead, and I needed all the time I could manage to scrape together to figure out what the hell I was going to tell her anyhow.

Wasn’t every day this sort of shit happened to me, after all.


	2. Turning reality on its head is an art!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we meet Solas, Varric (everyone's favorite dwarf..or, mine, at least), reference the Ice Capades & Frozen, and find out that Chancellor Roderick is a class-A prick. Also, spoilers, for those who have not played the game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's about 4am as I post this, and my eyes are bleary from editing...if you catch any mistakes or typos, please drop me a message so that I may edit <3

“Up on the hill! It attacks from a distance!”

I didn’t even dare turn to look, considering the shade trying to disembowel us both was doing a fair job of avoiding my swords. It wasn’t, however, managing to avoid the Seeker’s, who skewered it one last time and gave me the opportunity to blink and spin on my heel.

Just in time to catch a ball of pale green light to the chest. The muscles in my chest convulsed for several seconds and drove me breathless for several moments until it passed. There was no dodging those fuckers either, I soon discovered, as I’d executed a rather graceful spin and it still hit me. Wonderful. The Fade had discovered heat-seeking missiles.

“What in the fuck is this damnable thing?” I shouted as Cassandra slammed her shield into it, and my swords found purchase a beat later. It dissolved quickly, not proving much of a challenge once we were in melee range. I took a moment to breathe, sheathing my swords and pressing a shaking hand to my chest. I downed one of the potions she’d given me earlier, unwilling to deal with the residual discomfort and muscle twitches.

“A wraith. A rather fragile demon, all told, more of a nuisance than anything else. You’ve never seen one before, I take it?” she replied, lofting a brow as she sheathed her sword.

“Never. If we can’t dodge those missiles it throws, are plain weapons enough to bat them away? Or would the iron need to be enchanted? Or even made of something else?”

Part of my brain still rebelled at taking this all as ‘real’. It was a distant part that I actively worked on burying in the dark recesses where I hid everything else I didn’t want to think about or deal with. It just...didn’t feel like a dream or like any nightmare I’d ever had. Those had always had an otherworldly quality my sleeping mind had always somehow recognized, considering the horrors I’d endured while awake.

Blinking, I glanced up to meet Cassandra’s gaze as she replied. “I do not know if any metals alone could repel such an attack. An enchanted or runed weapon surely could, however, and a similarly crafted shield could simply dispel it.”

“I suck with shields, and believe me, I’ve tried to wield one. Maybe we can find me better swords at some point. Not that it does a whole lot of damage, granted, but it’s seriously uncomfortable to deal with. I’d imagine a succession of hits would pretty much drop someone with no means of defense against a ranged magical attack.”

“Perhaps you were not taught proper shield technique. That can easily be remedied.”

I snarled for a moment, before my expression turned into a wry smirk. “I can guarantee I wasn’t taught properly. I was taught by men who thought a woman was better suited to a sewing circle than a battlefield. My instruction, such as it was, could only be termed as sub-par. What skill I have I picked up on my own, through a great deal of trial and error, and patient battlefield observation.”

That was painful to admit and I hated that it was true. The SCA was an amazing group of people, overall, and like any group, it had good members, and not-so-good members. The chapters closest to where I’d lived, however, seemed to contain the majority of the awful members hell-bent on keeping gender stereotypes firmly in place. The men didn’t think women should be allowed to learn to fight and build armor, and the women happily let them do as they wished. They were content to sit, sew, spread gossip, and invent rumors to drive away those who didn’t fit in their little clique.

That I’d made it through five years of that shit was a miracle in and of itself. But right now was neither the time nor the place for this level of contemplation. Cassandra made a disgusted sound by way of response, muttering under her breath about the level of that kind of injustice. That endeared her to me quite a bit, to be honest. It was the first time anyone had validated my feelings in such a way...well, anyone other than Marcus.

 _Marcus_.

I hadn’t thought about my twin in the hour or so that I’d been awake, and that simple realization drove what little breath I’d collected right back out of me in a whoosh. Bending over to ostensibly check my shoes – which I discovered were instead boots with intricate laces, I put as tight a lid as possible on the fount of pain that welled up in my chest.

It was true that I’d been trying to take my life, and I was effectively abandoning my twin to live his own life without me. It was for the best, really. I was a hell of a mess and the number of times he’d had to somehow pick me up and put me back together was bordering on ridiculous. I couldn’t do that to him anymore. I couldn’t even make myself do it anymore. I’d had enough, and Marcus...well, he’d mourn me for a bit, but then he’d get on with his life without needing to worry about me anymore.

“We need to continue.”

Cassandra’s voice broke through my scattered thoughts, the sound and its intent a welcome interruption. Blinking back the tears that threatened, I nodded without meeting her gaze and simply followed as she led the way forward. There were a few more shades and several more wraiths just at the base of a set of stone stairs, and the burning hatred I had for the miserable fuckers only intensified. There’s only so many times you can get hit with multiple bolts of Fade energy before you can’t breathe anymore and your energy just plummets.

I let loose a barrage of phrases that involved entirely new versions of the word fuck and it’s various applications, earning a long glance from the Seeker as I finished off the last of the green bastards. I downed another potion before I even tried forming an answer and managed to at least look a bit sheepish. “I swear a lot...I can’t always help it.”

She snorted, and I swear she was trying to suppress a laugh. Cassandra was trying very hard to keep me in the little ‘prisoner’ box she’d put me in it seemed, and wouldn’t let anything else get in the way of that.

Not that I could blame her. If I really was the only survivor of the disaster at the Conclave she kept mentioning, then I’d blame me too. At least, until there was concrete evidence to the contrary.

I sighed and dragged my hands down my face as we trudged up the snow-covered stairs. The sounds of combat echoed down and I glanced over my shoulder at her as she spoke up.

“We’re getting close to the rift. You can hear the fighting!”

“Who’s fighting?”

“You’ll see soon. We must help them!”

I had more questions, but we crested the stairs and I bolted towards the group of people beset by a bunch of shades. I jumped off the ledge and landed on my feet, thankful it was only a six or seven foot drop – much more and my fear of heights would have kicked in, making the approach far more interesting. Cassandra was a half-step behind me, but as soon as we were both down, she bolted forward far faster than I’d have given her credit for if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. The way the woman moved was something else, and I was intensely jealous. Given the comment she’d made about training being easily remedied, I absently wondered if she’d consent to teach me a few things.

But the thought didn’t last long, considering I quite literally flung myself into the heart of the fray.

It was as if the miserable bastards knew I was there, too, considering the way the lot of them spun and began to converge on me. I didn’t spare that realization any further thought, preferring instead to let my mind focus on keeping me alive. As long as I could keep their focus, then the others could easily pick them apart.

At least, I hoped that would be the case.

The sickly green light emanating from what had to be the rift glinted along the length of my swords as I spun and slashed in wide arcs. It served as both offense and defense, as the blades kept the shades from getting too close all at once and cut deep parallel gashes into them when they did. Of course, it wasn’t perfect, and I really wasn’t as fast as I needed to be to pull it off, considering the number of times they tagged me with their claws and I let loose a tirade about their fucking parentage and extended family.

Swearing is an art form, and frankly, in the direst of moments, the most preposterous of words kept me grounded. Because even if I was accepting all of this as real, there was still a tiny part of me that doubted enough to force me to swallow against the fear that seemed lodged in my throat.

There were several human warriors, and one that might have been a dwarf given his height compared to the others, but I was a bit too busy to get a very good look. There was one man using what had to be magic, and that made me pause. Shades, wraiths, and Cassandra Pentaghast aside, there was magic.

 _Magic_.

I realized I was staring, but the last of the shades was dealt with and the slender, bald man grabbed my left wrist in a vice grip and held my hand aloft as he shouted over the roar of the rift right above our heads. “Quickly! Before more come through!”

I might have screamed, or sworn...or both, frankly. I honestly don’t remember much beyond the energy leaping from the gash in my hand to connect to the rift. Pain assaulted my senses, feeling as if a thousand tiny knives were flaying my veins apart from the inside out as I reflexively contracted my fingers and closed my hand into a protective fist.

The rift popped out of existence.

Breath hissed out from between my clenched teeth and I stared up at the...elf. Fucking hell. An actual elf. My eyes traced the shape of his ears for a brief moment as I caught my breath and absently shook my head. “What did you do?”

“I did nothing. The credit is yours.” He replied, his tone and features impeccably even. I made a mental note never to play poker with him.

“At least this is good for something...” I muttered, staring down at the swirling green energy lodged in my palm.

“Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky, also placed that mark upon your hand. I theorize that the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach’s wake – and it seems I was correct.”

Cassandra stepped forward as she spoke, glancing from me to the elf and then back again. “Meaning, it could also close the Breach itself.”

“Possibly.” Solas glanced at the Seeker before his hands folded before him and he stared at me. Felt like one of my teachers back in school, waiting for the right answer to pass my lips. _Just great_. “It seems you hold the key to our salvation.”

Oh. Is that all? Of all the things I was expecting him to say, that...was distinctly NOT it. _Me? The key to salvation?_ I couldn’t even manage to keep my own mind in check, how was I supposed to do anything with this damned mark?

“Good to know! Here I thought we’d be ass-deep in demons forever.”

The familiar voice came from behind me, and I turned to get a good look at its bearer. My eyes went wide in recognition and it was all I could do to restrain myself from quite literally hugging the man. I bit my lower lip and failed at hiding the smile that blossomed there as he introduced himself.

"Varric Tethras...rogue, storyteller, and occasionally unwelcome tagalong.” He winked at Cassandra, and I glanced up at her in time to catch her scowl. I swear I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped, and I quickly clapped a hand over my mouth.

 _Varric fucking Tethras_ was standing in front of me. Next to Alistair, this man was my favorite thing about Dragon Age, and I’d spent playthrough after playthrough dragging Varric absolutely everywhere in and around Kirkwall. Didn’t matter the kind of Hawke I’d created, he was the one constant that never failed to keep me in the best mood as I immersed myself in the game.

He was real, and his voice...damn. The actor they’d cast for his voice in the game had been amazing, but the real thing was just...so much better. I couldn’t help the grin that lit my features as my hands twisted together absently at my waist. He and Cassandra exchanged words I only half-heard, and Solas snickered from behind me, giving me reason to believe this bickering between them was decidedly commonplace.

“Is that Bianca? She’s even more beautiful than I’d imagined.” I piped up, staring at what I could see of the crossbow over his shoulder.

 _Shit_...I blinked as I realized what I’d said. Varric’s gaze narrowed for the briefest moment, but he put on a smile and nodded. “Ah, isn’t she? Bianca and I have been through a lot together.”

He stared at me for a moment as I held his gaze, and I somehow knew we’d be talking about it later. There was some part of my brain that wanted to comment on how Isabella had been right about his chest hair, but I figured that comment should be saved for a moment that didn’t have quite so much else going on. So, for a change, I was speechless, but mercifully, Varric was not – as if he even ever could be. “She’ll be great company in the valley.”

Cassandra huffed as she stepped forward, shaking her head. “Absolutely not. Your help is appreciated, Varric, but-“

“Have you been in the valley lately, Seeker? Your soldiers aren’t in control anymore. You need me.”

I arched a brow and watched their interaction with a bit more interest, glancing briefly over my shoulder at Solas who simply canted his head to the side with an ineffable smirk on his lips. Cassandra’s ugh of disgust drew a smile to my features that I endeavored to hide from her. Seriously, their bickering was...almost adorable.

“My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions. I am pleased to see you still live.”

I inclined my head to him and smiled, wondering how to introduce myself in a manner that wouldn’t get me into more trouble than I already seemed to be in. “My name is Ophelia...but I prefer Phe.” I distantly wondered if I’d get one of Varric’s infamous nicknames, and as if summoned, he spoke up just then.

“What he meant to say is, ‘I kept that mark from killing you while you slept.’” Varric edited, arms crossed over his broad chest.

“You seem to know a great deal about it all.” I returned my gaze to Solas, bright blue eyes wide as I gave him my full attention.

“Solas is an apostate, well-versed in such matters.” Cassandra offered.

“Technically, all mages are now apostates, Cassandra. My travels have allowed me to learn much of the Fade, far beyond the experience of any Circle mage. I came to offer whatever help I can give with the Breach. If it is not closed, we are all doomed, regardless of origin.”

I nodded and canted my head to the side as I studied him. “That’s a commendable attitude.”

Solas inclined his head as he continued. “Merely a sensible one, although sense seems to be in short supply right now. Cassandra, you should know – the magic involved here is unlike any I have seen. You prisoner is no mage. Indeed, I find it difficult to imagine any mage having such power.”

“Understood. We must get to the forward camp quickly.” Cassandra said after a moment, before striding forward with Solas, their speculation on the Breach and my mark continuing.

Varric came up to my side and arched a brow at me. I sighed and glanced down at him, giving the other two a few moments to get ahead of us. “You and I need to talk, Varric.”

“That’s the understatement of the Age.”

“It’s...a long story.” I added, trying to keep the pain from overwhelming me as I mentally sat on the metaphorical lid keeping my sanity in place.

He nodded and walked after them, giving me a minute to gather myself, for which I was grateful. I’d have to buy him at least a round or maybe two of drinks for this, and my hand slipped to where my pocket would have been in my favorite jeans. _Right...armor_...I realized, walking forward slowly as I rummaged through the pouches attached to my belt. I’d only opened the largest so far, having slipped the potions from Cassandra into it earlier.

The rest were all empty, save for one that contained a serious handful of coins. Several gold, some silver, and a whole bunch of copper...I almost didn’t want to know where I’d gotten the money, but I was relieved I had it, honestly. Securing it tightly, I jogged to catch up, stopping only once more to grab a sword lying half-buried in the snow.

I pulled one of the swords from its sheath on my back as I clambered over the barrier and hald it side by side with the one I’d just picked up. It was longer than the one I already had, and the shine on the blade was a bit odd. The surface looked as if it had veining etched across it and I squinted as if that would help me get a better look.

“Uhh, Cassandra...I’m sorry to bother you...but...what kind of bloody sword is this?”

The Seeker turned and arched a brow as I held it out to her, hilt first, of course. She took it in hand briefly before speaking. “It is a Templar sword. Folded with lyrium in its forging. The crest worked into the pommel indicates it belonged to someone of Knight-Captain rank.”

I shook my head as she offered it back to me. “It’s too long for me to wield the way I fight currently. You keep it for now.” She nodded and we continued forward.

My head was down as I concentrated on not face-planting on the slippery slope beneath our feet, so when Solas called out, I stopped in my tracks and finally looked up.

“Demons ahead!”

“Glad you brought me now, Seeker?”

I grinned as I unsheathed my swords and glanced down at the demons as the coasted around on the ice as if it were some twisted version of the Ice Capades or even Thedas’ version of Frozen. It was a face-palm worthy thought, but I refrained considering the sharp iron in my hands. Focusing on what I thought was a pair of shades at first, I noticed after a moment that one of them looked like a failed extra from the 300 with a preposterous crest jutting out from its shoulders.

I was immediately offended. For fuck’s sake, my last name was Atreides, and my entire family was from the region around Sparta in Greece. “Someone please hit those wraiths, I hate the damn things!” I shouted as I lept off the rocks and onto the surface of the ice. Cassandra engaged the normal looking shade as it surged toward her and I launched myself at the slightly larger one.

The bastard was tough, I had to admit. Must have been a higher form of shade, considering the level of damage I had to be doing and the fact that it was still going relatively strong. I slipped and it’s claws were on a direct course for contact with my chest when I felt a peculiar tingling sensation on my skin, as if a thousand bubbles were popping all around me. The very edges of my vision went slightly blue, and the shade’s attack just bounced off of my without leaving so much as a mark.

A barrier! My first barrier! I laughed aloud and threw myself back at the shade with renewed vigor, not knowing how long it would last. “Thank you, Solas!” I cried out, both for the barrier and the fact that the shade suddenly found itself frozen. Cassandra and I hit it together and it exploded, the last of the group to be destroyed.

I blinked as I sheathed my swords and stared down at my hands, the tingling fading away after a few more seconds. There was so much I wanted to ask, about barriers, and magic, and...I couldn’t really ask any of it without sounding like I belonged in a straightjacket. I settled for remaining silent as I picked through what remained of the demons, with Varric pointing out what would be useful to take along.

The four of us crossed the river and I peeked into the remains of a burning house, picking up a decent amount of coin and even finding an elfroot plant just behind it. Solas motioned for me to pluck the entire thing, explaining that the leaves were useful for cooking, and the stem and root for medicinal compounds. I made a mental note of his words as I carefully tucked the plant bits away in another of my empty pouches.

Cassandra shook her head and motioned towards the stone stairs nearby and I nodded, trotting over to climb them at her side. Before I could ask her about the lyrium sword I’d found earlier, Varric piped up.

“So... _are_ you innocent?”

I sighed. “I don’t actually remember what happened, Varric.”

“That’ll get you every time. Should have spun a story.”

“That’s what _you_ would have done.” Cassandra added drily.

“It’s more believable! And less prone to result in premature execution.”

My snicker emerged as a snort as I tried to reign it in, and shook my head. “I can tell you that I would never do anything like this. I might be a hell of a hot mess, but I’d never...hurt anyone.”

 _Except myself_ , I amended, _and Marcus, every time I wanted to die_. I cast my eyes down to my wrists, clearly seeing the scars beneath the fabric and leather. Blinking, I shook my head and remained silent until we came to another rift, this one just outside a tall stone and wood gate. We dealt with the demons quickly, and Solas shouted for me to seal the damn thing before it spawned more demons.

I lifted my hand and felt it connect to the rift even as a visible stream of energy flung itself from my palm. The pain was just as intense as before and this time I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood as I closed my fingers in a fist and the rift collapsed with the gesture. “Fucking hell that hurts.” I mumbled, shaking slightly as the others gathered around me and Cassandra called out to the guards.

“The rift is gone! Open the gate!”

“Right away, Lady Cassandra.”

“We are clear for the moment,” Solas said quietly, stepping up beside me. “well done.”

“Whatever that thing on your hand is, it’s useful.”

“Which is a good thing, because it fucking hurts to use.” I replied to Varric over my shoulder, finally spotting Leliana just ahead on the narrow bridge. Before I could greet her, however, the very cranky man leaning on the table straightened, sneered, and spoke.

“Ah, here they come.”

Leliana stepped forward as she spoke. “You made it. Chancellor Roderick, this is-”

“I _know_ who she is.”

Oh this guy was a class-A prick. Could his words drip with any more revulsion and condescension?

“As Grand Chancellor of the Chantry, I hereby order you to take this criminal to Val Royeaux to face execution.”

Yes. Yes, they could. _Fucking hell_. This asshole was ready to string me up. How could I possibly refute his claims when I couldn’t even fucking remember what happened?!

“Order _me_? You are a glorified clerk. A bureaucrat!” Cassandra snarled.

Oh my god, I loved this woman.

“And you are a thug, but a thug who supposedly serves the Chantry.” He sneered in response.

“We serve the Most Holy, Chancellor, as you well know.” Leliana replied, her head gracefully bowed at the mention of Justinia.

“Justinia is dead! We must elect a replacement and obey _her_ orders on the matter!”

“You stand there and prattle as if the world isn’t ending right above your bloody head! Isn’t closing the breach the more pressing issue, right now?” I did my best to keep my voice even, and I resisted to strong urge to lean over the table and punch the useless fucker right in the face.

“You brought this on us in the first place!”

Ok, to the void with restraint. This bastard was spewing the sort of vitriolic filth that I hated in politicians back home.

Cassandra put a hand on my shoulder and stepped in front of me. Which was, honestly, probably for the best. His tone changed as she leaned on the table and met his gaze without flinching.

“Call a retreat, Seeker. Our position here is hopeless.”

“We can stop this before it’s too late.”

“How? You won’t survive long enough to reach the Temple, even with all of your soldiers.”

“We must get to the Temple. This is the quickest route!” Cassandra snapped, before looking over to Leliana.

“But not the safest.” The Nightingale replied. “Our forces can charge as a distraction while we go through the mountains.”

The Seeker shook her head. “We lost contact with an entire squad on that path. It’s too risky.”

“Listen to me. Abandon this now before more lives are lost.”

“Before more lives are lost? Do you realize what leaving the Breach open will do? How blind are you to not see the demons raining down out of it with every other breath you take! Lives are being lost while you delay us with your prattling, _Chancellor_.” I bit off his title like it was the filthiest curse I knew and heard Varric ‘cough’ behind me.

The Breach decided it had also heard enough and fluxed overhead, sending searing pain through every nerve ending in my arm all at once. I think I whimpered this time, clutching my wrist in a vain attempt to do something about it. I looked up just in time to see the Chancellor glaring at me with accusation writ in every line of his features.

Cassandra and Leliana had both turned to look at me as well, I realized, and I glanced between them until the Seeker spoke up. “How do you think we should proceed?”

“Now you’re asking me what _I_ think?” I was incredulous...I couldn’t help it.

“You have the mark.” Solas ever so helpfully added, as if I could possibly forget.

“And you are the one we must keep alive. Since we cannot agree on our own...” her words trailed off and everyone simply waited for me to decide. Charge the Temple with the soldiers, or have them charge and take a treacherous mountain path we already lost people on. So, lose people, or lose more people. How the fuck was I supposed to decide something like this?

Words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them.

“I say we charge. I won’t survive long enough for your trial. Whatever happens, happens now.”

Cassandra nodded, something akin to approval in her gaze before she turned to the Nightingale. “Leliana, bring everyone left in the valley. _Everyone_.”

She nodded and rushed away to do just that as Solas, Varric and I joined Cassandra in striding forward. The Chancellor opened his mouth and I lifted my glowing hand. “Kindly shut it, _Chancellor_. None of us care for more of your vitriol.”

His jaw clicked shut and we strode away, the Seeker leading us up the mountainside beyond the forward camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments welcome! Please let me know what you think! :)

**Author's Note:**

> I do not have a beta, so please let me know if I've made any glaring errors. I did my best to thoroughly proofread, but I was a bit overexcited about finally posting this so I may have missed something.
> 
> Comments welcome! Please let me know what you think! :)


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